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The term refers to

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s and

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s as ''

himorogi in Shinto terminology are sacred spaces or altars used to worship.Sugiyama, "Himorogi" In their simplest form, they are square areas with green bamboo or '' sakaki'' at the corners without architecture. These in turn support sacred ropes ('' sh ...

'' in Old Shinto, as well as ''

shintai In Shinto, , or when the honorific prefix ''go''- is used, are physical objects worshipped at or near Shinto shrines as repositories in which spirits or ''kami'' reside.''Shintai'', Encyclopedia of Shinto ''Shintai'' used in Shrine Shinto (Jinj ...

''. A tree is a tree, a forest, a ''shintai'', a '' yorishiro'', a

Shinto shrine A is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more '' kami'', the deities of the Shinto religion. Overview Structurally, a Shinto shrine typically comprises several buildings. The '' honden''Also called (本殿, mean ...

, a warding. It is also called ''goshingi''. The term ''goshingi'' refers to trees that are considered sacred or divine in the precincts of

s and jingūs of Shinto, as well as the forests that surround them and trees that are not grown for logging. It also refers to trees that are owned by shrines or by private individuals and have a special origin in folklore. It may also refer to trees that have been specially cut down for planting or growing wild to be used as timber for the construction of shrines.

Overview

The

nature worship Nature worship also called naturism or physiolatry is any of a variety of religious, spiritual and devotional practices that focus on the worship of the nature spirits considered to be behind the natural phenomena visible throughout nature. A ...

called Himikura Shinto is also a part of the ancient Shinto religion. Out of gratitude,

fear Fear is an intensely unpleasant emotion in response to perceiving or recognizing a danger or threat. Fear causes physiological changes that may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the threat. Fear ...

, and

respect Respect, also called esteem, is a positive feeling or action shown towards someone or something considered important or held in high esteem or regard. It conveys a sense of admiration for good or valuable qualities. It is also the process of ...

for

God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

, life, and

nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans ar ...

, symbolic objects in places where the environment changes were used as Shinto bodies, not limited to trees. symbolic objects in places where the environment changes, including but not limited to trees, as Shinto bodies. In the thousands of years that have passed since this ancient Shinto, the form and style of shrines as vessels and rituals as inner life have been influenced by foreign

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural ...

s or established independently, becoming Shinto shrines and other forms of Shinto. Most of the tens of thousands of Shinto shrines in Japan were originally built on the site of Shinto shrines in the ancient Shinto religion, and this is why there are sacred trees as Shinto shrines, sacred stones (rocks) as sacred trees, iwakura rock sects, steles and

mound A mound is a heaped pile of earth, gravel, sand, rocks, or debris. Most commonly, mounds are earthen formations such as hills and mountains, particularly if they appear artificial. A mound may be any rounded area of topographically higher ...

s exist and are enshrined in the precincts. Some shrines do not have shrines at all, but enshrine sacred trees as their sacred bodies, and some shrines do not have shrines at all, but enshrine sacred trees in their natural state. In some places, there is no shrine, but the sacred tree in its natural state is worshiped by many people. Evergreen trees with pointed branches are often used in Shinto rituals as '' tamagushi'', a substitute for the gods to descend from. The most common type of skewer is sakaki, but since sakaki does not grow naturally in the north of the Kanto region, hisakaki and ''ogatama no ki'' (sacred tree) are sometimes used. ''Ogatama no ki'' are sometimes used. In general, a ''tadakushi'' indicates a branch that has been cut down to be offered to the gods, while a sacred tree is one that is still rooted in the earth.

Yorishiro

''Kami-yorigi'', ''kanjinboku'', etc. are considered to be '' yorishiro'' of the gods, and are given special treatment in ''

shimenawa are lengths of laid rice straw or hemp rope used for ritual purification in the Shinto religion. vary in diameter from a few centimetres to several metres, and are often seen festooned with —traditional paper streamers. A space bound by t ...

''. The '' Nageia nagi'' is a ''yorishiro'' of the gods, and is given special treatment in ''shimenawa''. Many of them are ''Nageia nagi'', mochinoki, and cedar. In addition, some trees are treated as sacred trees, such as the cedar trees at

Ise Grand Shrine The , located in Ise, Mie Prefecture of Japan, is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu. Officially known simply as , Ise Jingū is a shrine complex composed of many Shinto shrines centered on two main shrines, and . The Inne ...

, which are regarded as special trees separate from the gods in order to maintain the scenery or create a solemn atmosphere. For those who work in the mountains, a tree that stands out as a substitute for the god of the mountain may be temporarily treated as a sacred tree and enshrined. The ''

gohei , , or are wooden wands, decorated with two (zigzagging paper streamers) used in Shinto rituals. The streamers are usually white, although they can also be gold, silver, or a mixture of several colors, and are often attached as decorations to ...

'', which is used in Shinto rituals and is made from sakaki and nagi, is also called a sacred tree, but it was originally a simple substitute for a naturally occurring sacred tree in ancient Shinto.

Divine realms and boundaries

In ancient Shinto, the Shinto shrine was considered to be a Shinto shrine as a place where the gods dwelled, or a boundary between the

everlasting world Everlasting may refer to: * Everlasting life, the concept of physical or spiritual immortality Plants Everlastings (or everlasting daisies, or paper daisies), species in a group of genera in the family Asteraceae, including; * '' Antennaria'' ...

and the present world, and was feared and respected. In order to prevent people, things in this world, gods in this world, and things that bring misfortune and

evil Evil, in a general sense, is defined as the opposite or absence of good. It can be an extremely broad concept, although in everyday usage it is often more narrowly used to talk about profound wickedness and against common good. It is general ...

to this world from easily coming and going, ''shimenawa'' were hung as walls, making it a forbidden place. Even today, there are many places such as Okinoshima Island where not only the shrine, the sacred tree, or the forest of the local guardian, but the entire island is forbidden. In some places, rituals and festivals are held for a certain period of time when people want to bring good fortune and invite the gods in.

Tradition

Refers to a tree with a special origin, such as in a folk tale. In addition, trees that were written about in poems by famous poets are treated as sacred trees. There are many trees such as the plum trees at Dazaifu Tenmangū that were written about by poets.

Memorial tree

Trees donated by people who are related to the shrine are considered sacred and are treated as sacred trees.

Construction tree

When building a shrine, the trees that will be used for its lumber are treated as sacred trees.

References

{{Reflist Shinto religious objects Trees in religion Shinto shrines Pages with unreviewed translations